Abigail Smith Adams was the wife of second president John Adams and the mother of sixth president John Quincy Adams. As her husband worked to secure the colonies’ independence, frame a new government, and lead the country, Abigail was one of his most influential advisers.
Early Life
Abigail Smith Adams was born on November 22, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. While she did not receive formal schooling, she learned to read and write. She also enjoyed English and French literature.
On October 25, 1764, Abigail married John Adams, and the couple would go on to have six children. Throughout the course of their marriage, the couple exchanged letters, which would later be published by their grandson and give Americans unique insight into the early days of our country.
John and Abigail were often separated, as he travelled as a circuit judge and later to attend the Continental Congress. In addition to raising the children, Abigail managed the family’s farm and business affairs. In 1776, Abigail wrote to her husband, who was attending the First Continental Congress, and famously told him to “remember the ladies.” She added, “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.”
After the Revolutionary War, John Adams served as a diplomat. Abigail accompanied him to his posts in Paris and then London. They both returned home in 1789 so John could serve as vice president to George Washington.
First Lady of the United States
When John Adams was elected President in 1796, Abigail took an active role in his administration, even earning the nickname Mrs. President. Abigail, who was accustomed to speaking her mind, had trouble adjusting to her new role as First Lady. “I have been so used to freedom of sentiment that I know not how to place so many guards about me, as will be indispensable, to look at every word before I utter it, and to impose a silence upon myself, when I long to talk,” she wrote.
When the capital was relocated from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. in 1800, Adams became the first First Lady to live in the White House. She continued to host formal dinners and events, even though the White House was far from completion and located in the wilderness.
Later Life
AAfter John lost his re-election bid in 1801, the Adams family returned to Massachusetts. Abigail died on October 28, 1818, at the age of 73. Her son, John Quincy Adams, was elected president in 1824.
